Knoch High student now on house arrest
A Knoch High School student accused of making online threats is out of prison.
On Tuesday, Butler County Judge Tim McCune ordered Jason M. Bowen, 18, of Penn Township to be placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring in granting the teen's request for reduced bail.
“The court feels that the safety of the community can be assured with the conditions placed upon the defendant pending trial in this matter,” McCune said in his order.
Other conditions include that Bowen must comply with all mental health treatment recommendations and take all required medication.
McCune stipulated that the teen must live with his parents and report to the county probation office as directed. Firearms are not allowed in the home.
The order limits the defendant's travel out of his home. He is only permitted to leave for school, medical matters and church services, upon approval by the probation office.
Bowen had been in the Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail since Jan. 7, a day after a Snapchat video surfaced that showed him firing an AK-style weapon with the caption “Training for prom walk.”
Additionally, in a 2018 Instagram post, he is alleged to be giving a thumbs-up to a newspaper clipping of the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 elementary school children.
He is awaiting trial on a felony charge of risking a catastrophe and misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police said they found a set of brass knuckles and a container and glass pipe with suspected marijuana residue in his room when he was taken into custody at his family's home.
Bowen was initially given $25,000 bail following his preliminary arraignment. But within hours, District Judge Sue Haggerty increased the amount to $100,000.
“This was as a precaution,” Haggerty said at the time. “I have concerns for students and the community as to (Bowen's) mental state.”
She ordered the teen to undergo a mental health evaluation.
But even after the defendant received an evaluation, the judge would not budge on the six-figure bail, citing her continued concern for public safety.
Her decision came Jan. 16 after Bowen's preliminary hearing at which she ordered him held for court.
On Jan. 23, Bowen's attorney, Robert Mielnicki, filed a motion in Butler County court to have his client's bail modified.
Mielnicki again referenced Bowen's completed mental health evaluation on Jan. 14 and questioned the validity of the charges filed in the case, arguing that the video was an inappropriate joke.
“The evidence will eventually establish that this was a very bad attempt at humor,” Mielnicki wrote in his motion.
He also noted that if granted house arrest, Bowen would not return to Knoch High School.
